Christmas in my Hometown
by Jellybob 15
Summary: Due to the lack of Yugi&Tea stories, I've decided to make a Christmas story centered around them. To those who like this pairing, come on down! Complete!
1. Default

Disclaimer: Not in this lifetime will I own YGO, maybe when I'm reincarnated. ^___~

A/N: Even though I have the worst cold in the world, I wrote a Tea/Yugi fic on my laptop while I was in bed....suffering. *__* If it's not that good, I apologize. I just felt that Yugi/Tea fans needed something to warm their spirits during Christmas break. Well, enjoy and Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukah

Title: **Christmas in my Hometown**

We wish you a Merry Christmas....

We wish you a Merry Christmas...

We wish you a Merry Christmas...

And a Happy New Year!

__

'Really? Well, I wish that you would just shut up...'

Tea Gardner was in no mood to deal with anything that had the word "Christmas" in it. She was so annoyed with the materialistic holiday that she wished she was born Jewish. It wasn't like she hated Christmas, this year just seemed particularly rough. You see, Tea Gardner left her childhood neighborhood, Domino City, to fulfill her dreams in New York City to study dance. Unfortunately, her dream of becoming a dancer became a thing of the past. Once she came to New York, she needed help with her school tuition, so she applied for a job at the universal Kaiba Corporation and became interested in the world of business. Working as a business manager, as well as a right-hand to Kaiba, Tea had no time to even think of her friends in Japan-until three days ago, that is.

It was like any other day in Kaiba Corps. Tea was filing important papers for Kaiba, when the phone rang. She never expected that her long-time crush would be on the other line. She had known him since kindergarten and started growing feelings for him in High School. She didn't want to leave him in Domino City, but sometimes you have to follow what your brain tells you rather than your heart.

She tried her best to listen to what he had to say, but her heart was beating too hard to actually comprehend it. All she got out of it was that the whole gang was having a Christmas party at the Game Shop at 3:00 on Saturday and they were wondering if she could make it. She told him that she couldn't, but she only did that to surprise all of them.

Too bad it didn't go according to plan. She had forgotten that she had to buy gifts. It was already December 19th and the party was on the 22nd of December. That meant that the stores would be over-crowded. Knowing she had to get it done, she braved the crowds and got all the shopping done with little energy left to get the plane tickets. On the 22nd, however, her flight was delayed because of heavy snow. After waiting at the airport for four hours, her terminal was finally ready to depart.

Now that she was in Domino City though, she already wanted to leave. She had left so many memories here that it would be hard to face them again. Her house, the High School, the Game Shop, and.......Yugi. She shuddered at the last thought, knowing that he was the one thing that made her come back. She wanted to see him again. She had to tell him that- wait, how was she going to tell him?

__

'Yugi, I love you. That's simple enough.'

She stopped and closed her eyes to hold back warm tears. _'If it was so simple, why didn't I tell him when I_

was ready to leave?'

****

~~~***Flashback***~~~

"We will all miss you, Tea." Yugi gave her a quick hug and stepped back to look at her. "But I think I will miss you the most."

Tears streamed down Tea's eyes as she looked at Yugi. "Why is that?"

"You're the one that keeps me going, Tea. From your words of wisdom to your constant caring.....I can't see my life without you." Yugi paused and wiped a tear from her cheek. "I can't be selfish though. You're going places, Tea, and I don't want to stand in your way when you actually find something that will fit your needs."

"Yugi..."

"Tea, don't let me down. I believe in you just like you believe in me."

"Thank you, Yugi." She sniffed.

"Good luck."

"Yugi...I...I...." She stiffened. "I won't let you down."

****

~~~***End Flashback***~~~

'It was three simple words.' Tea replayed in her head mechanically.

As regrets flooded her mind, Tea moved through the automatic doors of Domino Airport, finally escaping the jolly Carolers and watchful security guards. Getting into a parked taxi on the corner, she unconsciously uttered, "Game Shop," and the taxi driver nodded and turned on the engine.

****

~~~***Game Shop***~~~

"Yugi, what's wrong?"

Joey pulled Yugi into the kitchen to escape the blaring music that was being played in the living room. Their Christmas party was a hit. Almost all their old friends came to spend the entire night talking and singing Christmas songs. It would have been complete if it had not been for Tea's absence. He still couldn't believe that Tea couldn't take time off from Kaiba Corps to see her "friends." Then again, the company was owned by his archrival, Kaiba, and that indubitably answered why she couldn't come. He just wished that Yugi wasn't so bummed over the absence of Tea. He knew that Yugi loved the girl, but things come up. You can't always get what you want.

Yugi turned to his best friend and shook his head to mitigate his concern. "Nothing, Joey."

"You can tell me anything, you know." Joey stated as Yugi let out a sigh.

"I'm just kind of disappointed that Tea couldn't make it." Yugi breathed as he folded his arms.

Joey bit his lip. "You're not the only one."

"It's been forever." Yugi whispered sadly as he looked down at his shoes.

"Sometimes you have to deal with loss." Joey stated, slightly remembering the time Mai's mind was trapped in the shadow realm.

Yugi swallowed hard. "I know, but...."

As Joey reached to put a hand on Yugi's shoulder, Yugi turned away from him and walked back into the living room. Joey just let out a sigh and titled his head toward the ceiling and thought about Yugi's last words. "....but you love her. I know, Yugi, I know."

****

~~~***In front of the Game Shop***~~~

"Thank you." Tea said to the taxi driver as she stepped out of the car.

It was just like how she remembered it. From the window card displays to the unlit "H" on the word Shop, nothing seemed to have changed at all. As she reminisced about the "good old days," Tea was brought back to reality with the sound of music playing inside. As Tea looked at her watch, it read about six o'clock. She was surprised that the party was still going strong. She brushed a strand out of hair and looked at the window to make sure she looked decent.

Boy, had she changed in the last four years. Her hair had grown beyond her shoulders, but was usually captured in a loose bow. She wore make-up now, but nothing extreme. Light pink eye shadow and lipstick was as far as she went in that department. Her style had changed as well. She grew out of the teenage fad of wearing thigh-highs and mini-skirts. It was just blue jeans or khakis with a simple shirt. At the moment, she had on beige pants with a light blue sweater that matched her eyes.

She pulled her eyes away from the window and decided that it was time to join the party. As she reached for the doorknob, fear and anxiety pulled her hand back. She held her shaking hand and looked at the door. Her nerves had gotten the best of her.

__

'Come on, you didn't come all the way here for nothing. It's time to settle things once and for all.'

Tea sighed and turned the knob slowly, knowing that it was time to face something she had been avoiding since she went to New York. She pushed the door open and walked in to hear the sounds of bells from her entry. As she walked past the rows of cards and magazines, the sound of music grew louder and louder. It was then she realized that the party was taking place in the living room upstairs. Her heart pounded harder and harder as she walked up the steps toward the party. As she put her hand on yet another doorknob, her heart nearly stopped when someone beat her to opening the door. It was Joey.

"Tea?" Joey asked, somewhat shocked.

She nodded as his smile grew. "Missed me?"

"You were gone?" Joey asked as she closed the door behind her.

She was about to glare at him when he yelled, "of course I missed you!" while bringing her into a big hug. Before he could suffocate her, Tea pulled away and examined Joey from his short blonde hair to his usual green shirt and blue jeans. It seemed that the years had not affected Joey at all.

"It's been so long," Joey said as he ruffled her hair. "You look good."

Tea straightened her hair and looked around the room. "Wow, look at this place."

The whole living room was decorated with balloons, party streamers, and confetti. The tables were covered by tablecloth and filled to the max with appetizers, samplers, and Christmas goodies. The people

that surrounded the room ranged from Duelist Kingdom opponents and allies they met on the way to Pegasus' castle. Even Duke Devlin and Rebecca had made an appearance.

"Yeah, Mai helped us with the decorations." Joey said as he leaned on the doorframe.

Tea cocked an eyebrow up. "How is Mai?"

That's when someone came behind Joey and said, "Joey, are you flirting again?"

Joey's eyes widened as he turned around and looked at his girlfriend. "No, just talking to-"

"TEA!" Mai yelled as she pushed Joey out of the way and hugged her old friend/rival.

Mai pulled away and squealed excitedly, "I thought you weren't coming!?"

"I lied." Tea said as Mai nudged her playfully. "What's going on with you?"

Mai blushed and looked over to Joey. "We hooked up."

Tea gasped. "Seriously!?"

Mai nodded as she grabbed Joey by the arm. "It's almost two years."

"A very long two years." Joey said tiredly.

Mai gapped at him. "And what is THAT supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, it's just been a long two years...." Joey said, trying to cover his mistake.

"Oh really!?" Mai yelled as Tea backed away from them.

Joey put his hands out defensively. "No, that's not what I meant!"

Tea cleared her throat and slipped away from their argument unnoticed. As she walked through the crowds of people to find someone familiar, her search stopped when she saw Tristan and....

"Serenity?"

The young girl with orange locks turned around and looked at her. "Tea?"

Tristan stopped dancing and looked at Tea before he smiled happily and yelled, "you made it!"

Tea nodded and accepted a warm hug from Serenity and Tristan. "How are you?"

"Great!" They said in unison, still excited that she had showed up.

"Good to hear." Tea said as she brushed a hand through her hair and looked around the room.

"How's New York?" Serenity asked as Tea sighed.

"It's a big change, believe me." Tea answered. "But, change can be good sometimes."

"Yeah," Tristan said, "Serenity and I are attending a college upstate together. It's much different from Domino."

"Wow." Tea breathed softly.

"Are you an all-state champion dancer now?" Serenity said with a chuckle.

Tea's eyes lowered. "No, I'm an assistant manager at Kaiba Corps."

To Tea, it seemed that Serenity and Tristan had stopped breathing for a moment.

"There's a Kaiba Corps in New York?" Serenity asked with a shocked tone.

Tea nodded. "Kaiba has them all over the place in America."

"Oh."

Silence stalked their conversation after that remark. Tea was kind of upset that they weren't happy for her, but she knew that working at Kaiba Corps didn't call for a celebration either. When she told Joey and Yugi about her new job, they were more worried than happy for her. She sighed sadly.

"Say, do you know where Yugi is?" Tristan asked, breaking the silence.

Tea wasn't ready for this question, so she just answered, "no, I haven't seen him.."

__

'You mean tried to avoid seeing him....' She corrected herself.

"Me either." Tristan mumbled. "That's weird."

Feeling uncomfortable at the moment, Tea said, "I'm going to go look for him," and instead walked to the bathroom to go wash her face. Too many thoughts were rushing at her at once. She needed to think. As she made her way to the bathroom, she found her legs freeze under her as she saw someone sitting on the floor with their back against the wall.

He looked so sad as he looked at his small palms. Even though his blonde bangs were covering his violet eyes, she knew he was crying. The tear stains on his cheeks were evidence enough. But, why? Yugi had to be the happiest person she ever met. He had his days when he was down, but it was only because his friends were in trouble. As she took a step forward, part of her told her to leave him be, while the other part wanted to console him.

__

'I can't leave him like this....'

Tea put on her best smile and walked over to sit next to him. "Yugi?"

Was he dead? Yugi hadn't heard an angelic voice like that since Tea had left him. Wait, even though the voice sounded like it matured, he would never forget her voice. It had to be Tea. As he turned his head in the direction of the voice, he figured that he must have died. The figure in front of him was flawless.

Yugi's endless stare made Tea uncomfortable. "Yugi?"

"You....You're...really...here..." He stuttered uneasily.

Tea chuckled. "At least someone is happy to see me."

"T-Tea," he said, still shocked to see her. "I missed...you."

__

'Why is he so nervous?'

"Me too." Tea sighed and brought herself to her feet.

Noticing that he was sitting on the floor, Yugi got up swiftly and brushed the dirt off his pants. He then wiped his cheeks and looked around the room to try to avoid eye contact with Tea. Meanwhile, Tea was just looking at Yugi, trying desperately to find out what was wrong. As she stared at his features, she noticed that he had grown to her shoulders now and the innocence in his face was replaced with a serious, lonely look. Almost like his other half.

"How is Yami doing?" She asked, trying to start a conversation.

Before the Battle City tournament was over and done with, Yugi had told the gang all about his other half who resided in his puzzle for the most part. Almost everyone was surprised by this, except for Tea, who had known all along that there was something different around him when there was trouble.

"Umm....he's gone." He responded, but decided to elaborate on his answer. "Yami wanted me to live my life and not have to worry about people trying to take the puzzle so he asked Shadi to take him to Egypt and help him find his roots. He's actually doing pretty well there."

"That's great." Tea said, but noticed that Yugi wasn't sharing the same feeling. "Do you miss him?"

"It was hard at first, but it was something that had to be done." Yugi said, growing more confidence as he spoke to her.

__

'Hmm....maybe Yami's absence is what was bothering Yugi...'

Tea nodded sympathetically. "Is that what you were upset about?"

Yugi swallowed hard, knowing that he had escaped the party because he missed her.

"Yeah," he lied. "All of the friends we have at the party were more friends with him than me."

"Yugi..." Tea said as she gave him a warm hug.

Yugi felt a little bad that he had lied to her, but if it was to get caught in an embrace with Tea, it was worth it.

"Thanks Tea," Yugi said as they parted, "I'm really glad that you are here."

"To be honest, I came here for you..."

Yugi's ears perked up, wondering if they had heard right. "What?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "You just make me so happy."

Yugi beamed. "Same here."

After a brief silence, Tea asked, "do you want to get back to the party?"

"It's up to you." Yugi answered with a sigh.

"Come on," Tea said excitedly as she grabbed his arm, "let's have some fun."

****

~~~***Later***~~~

"So, how's Kaiba Corps?" Yugi asked as they sat in the corner watching everyone dance.

Tea shrugged her shoulders. "Working with Kaiba is no picnic, but sometimes it is a lot of fun."

"Is Kaiba still in love with you?" Mai asked out of nowhere.

Tea blushed and pushed Mai aside. "Don't listen to her."

Yugi frowned slightly to himself, but tried not to think about it. "Um....do you like New York?"

"Yeah, but I miss my friends in Domino City." Tea breathed in heavily.

"Would you-" He was cut off by the sound of a cell phone.

Tea rolled her eyes and pulled a small blue cell phone out of her pocket. She looked at the front of it and whispered, "It's Kaiba."

"Are you going to pick it up?" Yugi asked as she fidgeted with the buttons.

"Unfortunately," she picked it up and started talking to her boss. "Huh? What files? Kaiba, I put them on your desk."

Yugi stepped away from Tea and walked over to Joey. "Hey. I'm sorry about before...."

Joey looked down at Yugi. "What? Oh, don't worry about that. You're just crazy....in love."

Yugi frowned and looked over to Tea.

"What's wrong?" Joey asked curiously.

"Is she....going out with Kaiba?"

Joey cocked an eyebrow up. "You're a funny one."

"What's Kaiba got that I don't?" Yugi asked as he folded his arms.

Joey could have laughed at Yugi's current "pouting" position, but he suppressed it and answered, "never compare yourself to anyone, Yugi, you are who you are and if Tea can't accept that then she wasn't the 'one' to begin with."

Yugi nodded at Joey. "Wow, that was really helpful information."

"Thanks, I got it from one of Mai's soap operas." Joey said as Yugi shook his head playfully. "What?"

"Nothing," Yugi said, noticing that Tea was off her cell phone. "I'll be back."

"Take your time." Joey said as he watched his short friend disappear into the crowd.

****

~~~***Meanwhile***~~~

"Kaiba is such a jerk." Tea whispered while noticing that Yugi left. "Yugi?"

"Hey," he said from behind her. "I just went to talk to Joey."

"I'm sorry," Tea said as she put a hand on her forehead. "That guy drives me nuts."

"Sorry to hear that..." Yugi said as she groaned.

"He wants me back in NY by tomorrow morning." Yugi's eyes widened. "He claims that I have to attend an important meeting with him, but I could care less. I mean, I asked him if I could have the week off and he agreed as long as I stayed overtime after I came back. He is NOT going back on his word."

As Tea rambled on about Kaiba, Yugi only grew more heartbroken.

"......but...I may have to go back tonight. I don't want to lose my job. That's all I got left in NY."

"You can always go back to your dream of becoming a dancer." He said as she grew silent. "What's wrong?

"I just realized that I let you down." Tea whispered. "I promised you I would make something of myself by becoming a dancer in NY, but I wound up getting a stupid job at Kaiba Corps. Why didn't I follow my dreams?"

Yugi put a hand on her shoulder. "I told you to find something that would fit your needs....and you did."

"I hate working there." Tea admitted. "All this time I have been lying to myself...and you. After spending this night with you and the others, I realized that Kaiba Corps isn't what I really wanted. I want to...become a dancer again. But, this time I'm staying in Domino."

"Are you...serious?" Yugi's smile grew.

Tea was about to say something when she heard Joey's voice sound through the room. "Attention everyone! I would like to make a toast this evening for a couple of reasons. One, I'd like to thank you all for coming." Cheers were heard after that toast. "Two, I'd like to welcome back an old friend who has always supported me through my duels and kept my spirits up....let's hear it for Tea Gardner." Tea blushed and hid her face as everyone clapped. "Finally, I wanted to make something public tonight." He cleared his throat. "It has been two years since I asked Mai Valentine to be my girlfriend and now I want to ask something else of her." He got down on one knee next to Mai and said, "Mai, I've known and loved you since that fateful day on Duelist Kingdom. I want you to know that I never regret a day being with you. You are my sun, my air, and my one and only true love. Will you...marry me?"

Mai's mouth dropped open as he slid a diamond ring on her finger. "Y-Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"I love you!" Joey said as they hugged and kissed.

Everyone smiled and cheered for the newly engaged, but weren't acknowledged by the lovers who were lost in each other's eyes. Joey then swept Mai off her feet and looked toward the crowd. "I would love to stay and chat, but I got some other things planned for Mrs. Wheeler."

As he carried her out of the living room, Yugi and Tea were left in a very confused state. "Did Joey just-"

"Yeah." Tea answered as they both looked at each other. "It's only been two years."

"Let's break their record." Yugi smiled. "Tea, will you marry me?"

Tea chuckled and nudged Yugi playfully. "Call me in a year and three hundred and sixty four days."

They both laughed and toasted to that.

__

~To be continued.....~

Well, that's it for chapter one. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Umm...for those interested in my other fic, "A Fresh Start," it should be finished by either this or next week. I think the rest of this fic will be posted by the end of the week. ^___^ 

Jelly


	2. Winter Wonder

Disclaimer: Not in this lifetime will I own YGO, maybe when I'm reincarnated. ^___~

A/N (1): Still dying.....

A/N (2): Yugi was just joking when he asked Tea to marry him at the end. *sweatdrops*

****

Title: Christmas in my Hometown

Random Quote: Did Michael Jackson ever tell you to Beat It? *cough* Don't ask....

"Great party, Yugi."

Yugi waved warmly, "get home safetly."

A sudden relief came over him as he watched the last two people leave in a state of concord. Though it was a great party, it had taken its toll, mentally and physically, on his body. He closed the door behind him and walked upstairs to see cups, confetti, streamers, plates, and leftover food lingering around the living room. He sighed heavily and made his way for the couch before his legs gave in under him.

"This is something I am never doing again," he fell onto the couch and groaned.

As his mind drifted toward the dream world, he didn't take notice to Tea's presence near the doorway. Tea, meanwhile, just gazed lovingly at Yugi's sleeping state until she decided it was time to leave. She walked toward the closet quietly and grabbed her jacket that was resting on one of the many hangers on the rack. After taking one last look at Yugi, she reached for the doorknob to hear, "I don't even get a goodbye."

She pulled her hand from the doorknob, "I didn't want to disturb you."

"Tea," he sat up, "that's no reason and you know it."

Yugi knew her like a book. "I didn't want to say goodbye."

"What?" He asked as she turned around to look at him.

"I know I told you that I was going to move back to Domino City, but," she walked toward him, "Kaiba will find some way to make me stay in New York. I didn't want to say goodbye when I knew I might not be coming back here."

"You can't let him control your life."

Tea knew Yugi was right, but he wasn't the one that had to stand up to Kaiba and tell him that. "I know."

"Then....promise me you'll come back." He took her hand in his.

"I-"

Her cell phone disrupted their conversation once again, but this time Yugi grabbed it before she could answer and looked at the name of the caller. Did Kaiba have her on speed dial or something? "Tea, before you answer to Kaiba, I need you to make that promise to me."

"Yugi..." She shook her head and took the phone from his grasp, "I...can't..."

Once on the phone with her boss, she noticed Yugi's back turned away from her. She ignored it once she

heard the word "promotion" spoken between the lines of rants and threats. "If I come in tomorrow, you'll grant me a promotion? Business supervisor? What time do you need me in?" After listening for a slight minute, she nodded her head and said, "okay, you should expect me in by eight o'clock."

"I see love gets in the way of your dreams."

Tea raised an eyebrow up at Yugi's accusation. "I'm not in love with Kaiba."

"How could you _not _be in love with him? It seems you do everything he requests of you."

"It's my job," she said as he folded her arms, "and he's my boss."

"Quit." He stated plainly as she put her coat on.

"You don't understand," she pulled her hair over her coat, "business supervisor is a big career move."

"Fine." Yugi wasn't going to argue with someone who had made up their mind.

"I'm sorry, Yugi."

Yugi brought his hands to his sides. "Don't be."

"I guess this is goodbye...again." She hugged Yugi, but he didn't respond to it.

A tear slid down her cheek as she made her way to the door.

"Just answer me something," she turned to look at him, "what would Tea Gardner do?"

Part of her understood the question, while the other seemed confused by its nature. All of her, however, couldn't understand why Yugi would ask such a question. She was Tea Gardner and she was following her_.....dreams......._

"What wouldn't Tea Gardner do?"

As she closed the door behind her, she broke down in tears. It wasn't like her to give up on her dreams, especially when she had so many to accomplish. Yugi was right. She wasn't Tea Gardner at all. Tea Gardner didn't quit.

__

~~~***Meanwhile***~~~

Yugi could hear Tea crying from outside, but he was in no shape to comfort her. The conversation had caused him to shed some tears as well. He hated giving Tea, the love of his life, the cold shoulder, but he thought he could bring the old Tea back if he did. Why hadn't she come to her senses? Was she so in love with Kaiba that she would change everything about her just to be him? He rested his head on the couch arm, unsure what to think at this point.

One thing stood clear in his mind though, "I won't give up."

__

~~~***Later***~~~

Tea leaned her head gently against the taxi window, staring unconsciously at the hands on her watch that appeared to have stopped. She laughed pitifully at this because it reminded her of her relationship with Yugi. Ra, why had he thought she was in love with Kaiba? Seto was too busy in his technological devices to actually give her the time of day. In addition, she felt no physical attraction to him. It was strictly business and she preferred it that way.

__

"What would Tea Gardner do?"

It seemed that whenever she cleared her mind of all her troubles, his awful words would strike her mind like a hammer on a nail. Had she really changed that much for Yugi to take notice? Tea didn't feel like she created a new image of herself. What did Yugi know that she didn't?

__

"How could you not be in love with him."

She lightly banged her head on the window, hoping to make her head hurt so much that she couldn't think. The only thing that this accomplished was getting the taxi driver to think she was nuts. She leaned into the old leather seat, tilting her head toward the roof so she couldn't attack the window again.

"You can't let him control your life."

She closed her eyes, trying to block out his voice. The harder she tried the louder his voice got in her head. Knowing that she was defeated, she picked her head up and looked out the window to see where they were. She could tell that they were only a few blocks away from the airport.

__

"To be honest, I came here for you..."

Her eyes bolted open as her own voice now filled her head. She remembered saying that when Yugi told her how much he was happy to see her. She smiled weakly, remembering the smile on his face when she said it. She loved seeing him happy, especially when it was because of her. Her smile soon turned to a frown when she realized how much she was already missing him. This was bad. She wasn't even out of Domino City.

She didn't want to go back to New York. She knew what to expect already. As soon as she walked into Kaiba Corps, the first things that was going to come out of his mouth is, "why are you late?" No "hi" or "how was your trip?" Ra, why was she going back? Did Kaiba really control her life?

"No, I'm no one's duel deck."

The taxi driver looked at her, through the rear view mirror, for saying that out loud. She only smiled and said, "could you make this my stop?"

__

~~~***The Next Day***~~~

Yugi awoke to the smell of....bacon? He sat up and looked around warily. "Grandpa?"

That was a stupid thing to say. Grandpa was away on some senior cruise to the Caribean Islands for at least a month. It took a lot of persuading to get his Grandpa to leave the shop, but when he heard the words, "free buffet" he was already packing his bags.

"Hmm..." Yugi mumbled as quietly stepped toward the kitchen.

As he stepped into the kitchen, he saw a cheerful Tea cooking breakfast while dancing with a pair of headphones on. His eyes widened, remembering what happened last night. Ra, his jealously got the better of him. He wanted Tea to stay so bad, but he only drew her away with his words.

"Good morning," she pulled her headphones down, "I wasn't sure if you liked scrambled or fried eggs, so I made both."

He looked down at the plate of eggs, unsure what to say. Though it shocked him that she was here in his kitchen, it shocked him even more that she wasn't sad, angry, or even upset by what happened yesterday. It was like she was trying to hide and conceal what happened between them. Almost like what.... the old Tea would do. As long as he had known Tea, there was never a day where she looked at her life through an empty glass. Whatever happened to her, she wouldn't show her true feelings. "Thanks, Tea."

"No, thank you."

He would have asked to elaborate on her response, but he only sat down and kept it to himself. She smiled and pulled out a chair, that was across from him, and placed a plate down for herself. As she munched on her food quietly, he only picked at his food, while watching her suspiciously.

"Is it that bad?"

"Huh?" He looked down at his food, noticing that he hadn't touched anything. "No...just not hungry."

She put her fork down and looked at him. "Last night was the culprit, huh?"

"I...well....yes.." He uttered, but then regained his composure to say, "why are you here?"

"Well, I remembered years ago that you told me about a spare key that was taped under the bench in front of the Game Shop." She picked up her fork again, "I hope you don't mind. There was really no place to check in for the night."

He shook his head. "No, I mean, why aren't you in New York?"

"Ohhh..." She looked away from Yugi. "Let's just say that I realized what a big mistake it would have been."

Before he could answer, Tea jumped up and cried, "is that snow?"

Yugi watched as she ran to the window to watch small ice particles falling from the sky. He pulled himself to his feet and walked over, "it seems we are going to have a White Christmas after all. Wait, isn't there a lot of snow in New York."

"It seems that since I've been there, snow is as rare as rain in the Sahara."

Yugi smiled, "you must be too hot for New York."

"Oh yeah," she blushed while hiding a smile, "I think not."

"So," he stated before silence could end their conversation, "you wanna go outside?"

She turned to look at him with an _"are you crazy?" _look planted on her face.

"Come on," he raised an eyebrow up, "don't tell me NY has turned you into a chicken!"

She folded her arms. "Take that back!"

"Not until you go outside and prove it to me."

"Fine," she walked out the kitchen, "we'll see who's the chicken."

Yugi smiled to himself, glad to know that Tea was here with him. As he followed her out of the kitchen, he realized that the living room was cleansed of all the garbage he had neglected to clean last night. "Tea, you didn't....clean all of this?"

"All of what?" She walked into the living room, "oh yeah, it was nothing."

His eyes widened as he put his shoes on. "Are you kidding me?"

"Yugi, you know there's inventions known as the vacuum cleaner and dishwasher, right?"

This statement didn't phase his shock, "you didn't have to do all of that."

"Don't worry, I left you the bathroom."

"Joy."

__

~~~***Outside***~~~

"Crap, it's freezing."

Tea smiled at Yugi, who was jumping around like he did when he lent her his jacket after she battled one of the Big Five. It had to be one of the sweetest things Yugi, or any guy for that matter, had ever done. "Not as bad as Penguinville."

Yugi heard what she said and laughed, "you remember that?"

"How could I forget?" She folded her arms to keep herself warm, "that was my first real duel."

Yugi smiled. "Do you still duel?"

"Funny, though I work for a dueling industry, I haven't dueled since then."

Yugi nodded sympathetically. "It seems that way for me too."

Tea gasped. "The King of Games?"

"That's Yami's title." Yugi sighed.

"That's not true, you've earned that title, with or without Yami."

Yugi smiled weakly. "Ra, I've missed you."

"What?"

"I really haven't had anyone to cheer me on ever since you left." Yugi looked toward the sky, catching some snowflakes on his face as he did. "Then Yami, Serenity, and Tristan left." He sighed and looked at her, "it was rather depressing."

"Really?"

He nodded and slipped his hands in his pocket. "It seems that I really wasn't strong without my friends around."

"I know something that will cheer you up." She smiled maliciously as she hastily picked up some snow and threw it at her victim. Yugi only looked at the snow on his shoulder before realizing that the snowball was only a warning shot.

Soon, three others came into sight. He ran and dodged two, "hahahaha! You missed me!" That's when the third one hit his ear. "Ah! I've been hit! I need back-up!" Tea only giggled as he fell into the snow with his leg wiggling in the air.

__

'He's so cute..'

"Tea," he coughed weakly, "I don't know how long I can....hold on."

"Ohh...okay.." Tea said cheerfully as she turned around, "bye!"

Yugi hastily sat up and looked over at Tea, who was already running for the door. He formed a snowball and aimed for her head, but wound up hitting her in the leg because he was so far away from her. She fell down and looked over to him, "that's all you got?"

He cocked an eyebrow up and stared at the snow, "are you challenging me?"

"Care to accept?" She asked as she eyed the snow carefully as well.

Before he could even answer, Tea picked up a pile of snow and looked at him furtively. He stepped away from her and broke into a run, but not until he realized that he was running away from the house....which was the only exit. Unfortunately, they had a small backyard and the Game Shop property was surrounded by a thick stone wall, which looked too dangerous to climb. He stopped hastily and yelled, "you wouldn't hit a short person, would you?"

She stopped and looked at the snowball in her hand, "hmmm...yes!"

She smudged the snow into his hair and ran away, carrying fits of laughter as she skipped across the white paradise. Yugi only watched, laughing to himself, knowing that things were finally back to normal between them.......

"For now."

__

~To be continued....~

Alright, that's it for chapter two. Tell me, did it meet up to expectations? It seems I've been so busy to actually get into my Yugi/Tea groove. Ra, that sounded wrong on so many different levels. *shakes her head and walks away*


	3. Merry Christmas

Disclaimer: Not in this lifetime will I own YGO, maybe when I'm reincarnated. ^___~

A/N: I'd like to thank you all for reviewing. It's great to know that there are still true Yugi/Tea fans out there. Give yourself a hug and keep this pairing strong in your heart! Yugi/Tea will prevail! We will not settle for anything less *cough* Marik/Tea *cough* Ra, that pairing needs to burn.......

****

Title: Christmas in my Hometown

For Tea, snow had to be the best part about winter. Unlike rain, which brought on a gloomy feeling, snow shed comfort and joy....if there ever were such feelings to express during a snowfall. As Tea rested her body against a mound of snow to make an angel, Yugi only watched from the porch, where he sat with one hand holding a cup of hot chocolate_. 'She's already an angel...'_

They had at least been out there for two hours, but Tea showed no signs of drowsiness. He surrendered to the cold after a good hour, declaring Tea the title of Snow Queen, though he knew that if he had ducked on that last snowball she threw, he could have made a comeback. He sighed and looked down at his hot chocolate, which seemed to have surrendered to the cold too.

"Isn't this so exciting!" Tea sat next to him, folding her arms together to keep warm.

"Woo-hoo..."

"Such enthusiasm," she raised an eyebrow, "you're not upset about before, right?"

He put his cup down. "No, it was just a game..."

"...that you didn't win." Tea added, "and the King of Games hates losing."

"Once again, that was Yami's title." he turned away from her, "this is Yugi you're talking to."

"Listen," she tilted his chin toward her, "who helped Yami win most of those duels?"

"Me, but-"

She put a finger to his lips and leaned forward, "that's evidence enough. You deserve that title."

Being so close to Tea left Yugi speechless.

"Did anyone tell you that you look so cute when you blush?"

"I'm not.." He stopped, feeling the heat flesh out around his cheeks.

She laughed. "It's good to be back..." 

"About that," he cleared his throat, "you really didn't explain why you came back.." 

Her eyes lowered. "Your words.....they really knocked some sense into me." 

"So," he bit his lip, "is the old Tea here to stay?" 

"Yes," she nodded and hugged him tightly. "Thank.." 

She looked away from him and started looking around.

"What's wrong?"

She stood up, "I could have sworn I heard my name......."

Just as she breathed those words, Joey and Mai appeared, standing happily at the back gate.

"Hope we're interrupting," he put a hand around Mai's shoulders.

"Oh, you're not inter-" Tea shook her head irritably, "what!?"

Joey only laughed as he nudged Yugi playfully. "What's up?"

"You tell me, friend."

"Nothing much," Joey looked at Mai, "anything new?"

She shook her head and looked over to Tea, "hey, aren't you supposed to be back in NY?"

"I changed my mind," she whispered, without looking at Yugi.

"So, you're staying in Domino?"

As soon as Tea nodded, Mai squealed and brought Tea into a hug.

"Be honest," Joey smirked, "Kaiba drove you nuts, right?"

She shook her head. "He isn't as bad as you claim."

"Oh yeah," he frowned, "so you're saying that calling me a dog isn't bad?"

"I'm not getting into that," she looked away from him, "that's between you and Kaiba."

Joey was ready to argue that statement when Mai elbowed him in the ribs.

"So, when are you going back to Kaiba Corps?"

Relieved that Mai changed the subject, she answered, "I'm not."

"Really?" Joey and Mai exclaimed in unison.

"Yup," Tea put a hand on Yugi's shoulder, "I'm too homesick."

"I can't believe it," Mai whispered, still shocked. "This is great."

"Yeah," Joey made a fist, "who needs that jerk!"

"Who exactly are you addressing, _Wheeler_?"

Joey dropped his fist, knowing exactly whose voice it was before turning around. Kaiba, who adorned his Battle City outfit, was accompanied by two bodyguards, who carried the same empty expression as their boss. Yugi, who was also shocked by his entrance, knew exactly why he had come. Yugi turned to Tea, who was trying to stay calm, though he could see her hands trembling.

"Kaiba!" Joey yelled, regaining his composure he lost.

Kaiba only smiled, "been a long time, Wheeler."

"Yeah," he yelled angrily, "why did you have to go and ruin that?"

His eyes flashed with an unknown emotion. "Don't flatter yourself, I'm here for Ms. Gardner."

"What business do you have with Tea?" Joey persisted, folding his arms angrily.

"Joey," Tea put a hand on his shoulder, "it's okay. He's my boss, remember?"

"Hmm...I've never seen a boss fly all the way around the world to see his employee."

"Chill," Mai whispered to Joey as Tea stepped forward.

"That's right......_puppy_."

"HIS ASS IS MINE!"

Joey clenched his fists together and ran past Tea to take a shot at Kaiba. He would have succeeded if his bodyguards hadn't stepped in front of Kaiba protectively. One of them pushed Joey back and said, "the next time you attempt to harm Mr. Kaiba, we have the authority to raise a weapon to take you down."

"No, that won't be necessary," Tea yelled as she stepped between Joey and the two bodyguards. "There's no need for violence. Let's step in the front, Kaiba. "

"Very well," he signaled his guards to move toward the front.

Before Tea followed him, she turned to Joey, "behave...please..."

Joey growled "fine," and watched as she walked toward the front.

"Alright," Mai clasped her hands together, "time to do a little spying..."

Yugi gasped, "Mai!"

She sighed and grabbed him by the wrist, "you know you want to know what they are talking about too..."

****

~~~***Meanwhile***~~~

"Kaiba, I'm really sorry-"

He turned to look at her with his cold eyes, "I didn't come here for an apology."

"But I want you to know that I-"

"I didn't come here for an excuse either."

Tea wanted to come out with, _"then why did you come!?" _but she resisted temptation.

"Tea," blue eyes met blue eyes, "Kaiba Corps is a demanding job and sometimes it requires for one to put their desires aside for the sake of their position. I'm afraid if you don't come with me today, I will have no choice but to fire you."

"You....came all the way from New York....to tell me that?"

"...and I thought I had no life," Mai whispered from behind a bush, accompanied by Joey and Yugi.

Kaiba looked away from her, "no."

"Then," Tea stepped forward, "what else is there to say?"

"I'll meet you in the car, gentlemen," Kaiba said, addressing his bodyguards.

"What about the blonde?"

Kaiba turned to them, "I'll handle him."

They walked toward the car, leaving Kaiba and Tea alone....or so they thought.

"Come on, he's all alone now!" Joey yelled as Mai dug her nails into his arm.

"You're staying put," she turned away from him, "now be quiet."

"When you started working at my company," he inhaled deeply, "I only knew you as one of Yugi's friends."

Tea had no idea where this conversation was going.

"After a month, though, I accepted you as one of...._my _friends."

"One of his friends!? Ha! Tea is probably his only friend."

"Joey!" Mai and Yugi whispered.

"Now, I fancy you in a new way..." He leaned forward slowly, closing his eyes as he did so.

"Kaiba-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Kaiba forced her into a kiss. Though she felt nothing, Yugi thought that this was what she wanted. He looked away, feeling his heart throb from what he just witnessed. He knew he had lost....he just hoped Kaiba would take care of her.

"No!" Tea's yell awoke Yugi's senses. "I don't-"

"Tea, you are what I've always wanted." He brushed a hand through her hair. "I...love you."

Tea shook her head, "I'm sorry, Kaiba."

"What? You love me too, right?" His eyes flashed confusion.

She took his hand in hers. "No, I don't."

"W-what?" He stuttered, obviously bewildered.

"I don't feel the same way," she watched as his eyes dropped to the floor. "I'm really-"

"There's nothing to apologize for," he sniffed, "I was just mistaken in my judgment."

He pulled his hand back and started walking away. "Kaiba, wait!"

"Goodbye." He opened the door to his limo slowly.

"Please, wait." She stepped forward, "you're a good person, Kaiba. I hope someone will find the good in you like I did. I'm sorry that I couldn't be the one for you, but someone else holds a special place in my heart. Don't take it personally..."

He didn't look at her. "It's Yugi, isn't it?"

"Y..es," she swallowed hard.

"I told you so!" Joey whispered as Yugi kicked him in the shin.

"Shh..." Yugi looked back at Tea.

"Make sure you tell him before he finds someone else."

He crawled into the limo and closed the door behind him.

"Goodbye," she waved as the limo sped off down the street.

Shook up from the conversation, Tea slowly made her way to the backyard...only to see three figures appear from behind the bush. She stopped and looked at Yugi, Mai, and Joey, who looked too embarrass to talk. "Umm....look....I told you we would find...um...your earring behind here, Mai."

"Oh yes....thanks...Joey." They scrambled out, leaving Yugi to deal with Tea.

Tea folded her arms, "I guess you heard..._everything_."

"Yes," he looked away with a guilty look.

"Even what I said about....you?"

He nodded again.

"Great," she breathed in deeply and turned away from him.

"Tea..."

She sniffed as if she was crying. "I meant what I said, I do...love you."

"Why are crying then?" He turned her around to see her cheeks covered in tears.

"....because...I know...you feel...differently." She choked on her tears.

"What gave you that idea?" He caressed her chin, capturing tears that stained her beautiful face.

"You...?" He nodded knowingly.

She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around him. Tears drenched his jacket as her face rested against his shoulder softly. "Why are you crying again?" She looked up with a smile, telling him something he didn't know.

"I'm...just...so happy.."

He gave a sigh of relief as she rested her head against his shoulder again. "Me too.."

"Hey," they turned around to see Joey and Mai, "are we missing something?"

Tea and Yugi looked at each other. "No."

"Sure," he said as he walked into the Game Shop with his fiancee.

Tea looked back at Yugi, "I forgot, I got a Christmas gift for you."

"But....we exchanged gifts when-"

"Another one."

He cocked an eyebrow up, "are you trying to make me feel bad?"

"Yugi," she shook her head, "just close your eyes."

He obeyed, not expecting a warm sensation against his lips.

Tea. Was. Kissing. Him.

__

'This is better than this year's and last year's gift.'

She broke apart from him, "Merry Christmas, Yugi."

"Merry...Christmas.." He answered, slightly dazed.

~~~***One Year Later***~~~

".....and now...I pronounce thee husband and wife..."

Joey Wheeler turned to his new wife and lifted the veil that shielded the face he fell in love with. She beamed her brightest smile as he leaned forward and consummated the marriage with a soft kiss. Everyone clapped as they broke apart and walked down the aisle with joy in each step.

Yugi, Joey's Best Man, looked over to Tea, Mai's Maid of Honor, and smiled at her....and her violet dress that Mai had picked out for every woman participating in the ceremony. Tea blushed and pointed at Yugi's white tuxedo....that Mai had picked for the men in the ceremony...including Joey.

As they followed the newlyweds out of the chapel, Mai stopped and looked down at her bouquet. "Ready?" She asked as she tossed the bouquet in the air for someone to grab it. As luck may have it, though, Yugi caught it and looked from it to Tea.

"Ummm..." He handed it to her, "what do you say?"

She gently grasped it.

__

"I do."

****

~~~***The End***~~~

Woo-hoo! Another successful Yugi/Tea story.


End file.
